


Lost and Found

by waddiwasiwitch



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-22
Updated: 2015-07-22
Packaged: 2018-04-10 18:13:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4402169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waddiwasiwitch/pseuds/waddiwasiwitch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes life takes you where you don't expect, but it's in times of trouble you find who you can rely on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lost and Found

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Indiana_J](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Indiana_J/gifts).



> Disclaimer: The incomparable Jk Rowling owns Harry Potter. I am just playing pretend.
> 
> I hope that you enjoy it.

Lost and Found

Hermione Granger had thought things would never get any worse than that terrifying night when the Death Eaters had laid siege to Hogwarts. She was wrong. Life couldn’t get much worse – foraging for food and hiding from Dementors. The unnatural mist hung around the city and the streets were silent even during the daylight hours. Hermione sat teeth chattering, the only heat coming from a jar of blue fire that she had conjured. She could hear police sirens in the distance and she wrapped her arms around herself. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms in an effort to generate heat as she leaned against the wall of an abandoned building. The ground was littered with cans, cigarette butts, bottles and papers. It wasn't safe anymore; those with any sense had moved to countryside in small groups and away from the built up areas. Streets were empty except for the occasional wandering husk or terrified Muggle. Hermione was alone in this nightmare apart from the comforting presence of Charlie Weasley – a friendly face in the midst of all the uncertainty. The pair mainly stayed outside the city, but sometimes they ventured into the urban areas for provisions they couldn’t get in the countryside. It wasn’t safe to be human right now. Nearly all the shops were boarded up or looted. The survivors were holed up together with nothing to protect them except Lady Luck and resourcefulness. At first, they tried to help others, though in the end they could barely help themselves. The Muggles might not be able to see the Dementors, but they could feel them and they were probably even more susceptible to the Kiss than adult Witches and Wizards who able to defend themselves, those wizarding folk that were left. 

 

Six months ago, Hermione had arrived in Romania to start a new life. She had applied for a placement in the Foreign Office in an effort to escape her life back in England. She had handed in her notice and decided on a sabbatical. A position had become available in the British Foreign Office in Bucharest and her boss had encouraged her to take it, assuring her hat her position would be available when she came back. It was there Hermione had bumped into Charlie through his work in the dragon reserve shortly after she first arrived. Given the circumstances of her break up with Ron, she had been surprised about how kind he had been to her. She was running away from her divorce, from her guilt about her parents and her memories of the war that had robbed them of so many good people. It was difficult being one half of an acrimonious and famous divorce. Divorce was frowned upon in the Wizarding world, and she as both a woman and a Muggleborn had taken the brunt of the blame. The Weasley family refused to talk to her. Even Ginny avoided her and although Harry tried to remain neutral, she didn’t want to get between him and his wife. She felt like she had lost her two best friends in one sweep. Still, she didn’t regret divorcing Ron, not when they were only hurting each other. What she did regret was she hurt Ron and that their friendship was lost and that was something she had deeply cherished, but she didn’t miss the arguments. The passion had seemed romantic once, but the rose tinted glasses cracked shortly after they married. They were two very different people who had married too young. Now, she didn’t know what had become of any of them, her parents, her co-workers and friends left behind.  
“I hope you’re okay,” she whispered.  
It was at times like these that she wished believed in a greater power beyond their own. 

 

The onslaught came completely out of the blue. The magical community was the first to be hit as was to be expected. The Romanian Ministry of Magic fell quickly, the swollen numbers of the Dementors far outnumbering those of the Romanian ministry The national and international Floo Networks were the next to be overwhelmed. When the Dementors came, her wand was useless, she couldn’t muster a Patronus no matter how hard she tried. She had never been as strong as Harry and the sheer numbers overwhelmed them easily. There were Dementors everywhere, leaving husks in the place of humans. Most of these poor soulless creatures simply stayed where they were until they eventually succumbed to death from starvation. So many of their friends and acquaintances were gone. It wasn’t until the dust had settled, that they had realised that this was this was coordinated across borders. The whole of magical Europe was decimated over night. It hurt to think she never got a chance to make things right when everything went to hell. Charlie and she managed to secure limited access to the Floo Network to check at the Burrow before the network collapsed completely. They could just about manage a Floo call. Their floating heads saw that the Burrow was deserted completely as was Ginny and Harry’s home. Their call was interrupted by the arrival of the creepy soul suckers. The network collapsed entirely after that and any of the owls they sent home never returned. 

 

Meanwhile back in the present, Hermione was starting to regret agreeing to let Charlie go on his own. She looked at her watch. He should be back by now. The sound of footsteps coming around the corner and she stiffened, felt for her wand and prepared to stand up. Charlie’s smiling face came around the corner and she relaxed. She didn’t know how the man could remain so upbeat with the whole world falling apart around them. What she did know was that she wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him.  
“Muggle coppers,”he said, “You’ve got to hand it to them. They’ve got no chance, but they never give up.”  
She ignored the unspoken part of the sentence. Like us.  
“Charlie? Please tell me you have food.”  
Charlie gestured to the cloth bag on his shoulder. “Fresh bread and some fruit for now. We’ll eat well tonight, but plenty of tinned food to last us at least a few days.”  
He held out the precious cargo and she took a rather over ripe looking apple from.  
“You?”  
“I got some scissors, bandages and plasters. Water bottles are full. We should be ok if we are sensible, though I have a surprise.”  
“What’s that?” He arched a brow.  
“I got some whiskey.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small bottle and shook it..  
He gave her a small smile, which she returned. He sat down beside her and wrapped his arm around her and she cuddled into him.  
“What would I do without you?”  
“Starve!”  
She hadn’t quite made her mind up whether it was romance or desperation. It started out innocent enough- an offer to share the one sleeping bag they had between them. Unavoidable touching resulting in reawakened desires, and there was sex that kept the cold away and let her forget for a time the hopelessness of their situation.  
Hermione bit into the apple and grimaced at the taste. It didn’t matter how bad it tasted; Food was food especially when you were starving. After all, it had been a several days since they had managed to scavange a decent meal. She leaned closer to Charlie. They were both shivering even with the conjured ball of flame.  
“I’m so cold!” She rubbed at her arms.  
Charlie uttered what they were both thinking, “Should we risk a proper fire?”  
The old Hermione wouldn’t have dared, but then the old Hermione hadn’t seen what she had.  
“We probably shouldn’t, but..” 

 

The following morning, Hermione awoke and immediately sensed the absence of Charlie. It was still early, the sun only beginning to peak over the horizon. She rubbed at her still sleepy eyes. She started when she noticed the figure standing over her.  
Her mouth dropped open. She blinked believing the familiar messy, dark hair, glasses and green eyes would disappear. It had to be an apparition of a desperate mind. However, Harry was still there when she opened her eyes again.  
“Hermione!” Harry grinned at her, “It’s good to see you.”  
She shrieked and threw herself at her old friend. “Oh Harry!”  
She could feel her eyes tear up and though she tried to hold back, she soon was sobbing unreservedly. Her cries were noisy and she could feel the tears running down her face, but she could bring herself to let Harry go long enough to wipe them away. The harder she cried, the tighter her grip became.  
“Hey,” Harry said gently in her ear, “do you think you could let me go before you break my ribs.”  
She let out a watery chuckle and reluctantly released him. “I thought I would never see you again.” She wiped at her eyes. “We sent owls, but they never came back.”  
He bowed his head, “We’re mostly intact, but we lost Molly and Arthur.”  
Despite the bitterness that followed her divorce, the elder Weasleys were a very important part of her life and she was filled with sadness at the thought.  
“What happened?”  
“There were too many.” Harry looked right through her as he spoke. “We were at the Ministry when it happened. All of a sudden, Dementors were everywhere. There was screaming, crying… I tried to get there. I could see the fading of his Patronus as he tried to shield her. I was pushed back by the crowds. I knew it was too late, but I tried, Hermione.” Suddenly, his gaze met hers again. “Malfoy,” he spat, “Draco Malfoy of all people pulled me away and probably saved my life.”  
“Oh Harry.”  
His gaze went to the ground again. “It was like watching Sirius disappear before my eyes again.”  
She reached for him again and hugged him again.  
“Hermione,” Charlie’s voice came from behind her.  
She let go of Harry, turned around and saw three red heads rather than the one she expected. Ginny and Ron stood alongside Charlie. She could see from the puffy eyes and sombre expressions of the siblings that the terrible news had been shared. Charlie looked more defeated then she had ever seen him, shoulders slumped and eyes without their usual spark. Losing your parents was terrifying in and of itself, but being so far away and having no knowledge that they were lost to you must be even more devastating. Hermione could relate. Her parents were miles away – the other side of the world. When she had visited them after the war, she could see how happy they were in their new life and she found she couldn’t pull the rug from under their feet. It was easier too, that little voice in her head told her, rather than facing them after telling them how she had used magic to take away their free will and to wipe their memories. But that decision had been made long ago and she had always thought that she couldn’t go back now.  
“Harry told me,” Hermione said. ”I’m so sorry.”  
She walked towards Charlie, took his hand and squeezed it. She turned to the other two and was engulfed in a two person hug.  
“We’ve been looking for you two for weeks,” Ron said.  
“We were so worried,” Ginny added.  
Hermione could feel her eyes welling up once more.  
“Are you hungry?” Charlie asked.  
“Ravenous,” Ron and Ginny replied in unison.  
The pair let her go and Hermione watched fondly as the three siblings sat down and shared the fruit. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned her head to see Harry’s smile.  
“So, you and Charlie, huh?” he whispered.  
She starred at him, “When did you get to be so observant?”  
“Ginny taught me a few things.”  
Hermione managed a small smile, “Those Weasleys, huh?”  
Suddenly, what was impossible merely hours ago seemed possible again. 

The end


End file.
